Art and Philosophy

This discussion group looks at visual art, mostly through slides, and also considers music and literature alongside the philosophical questions underneath them: whether art can be defined, why it is held to matter, whether it has a purpose and how it is judged. Past sessions have covered Proust and painting, Arthur Danto's theory of art, Frida Kahlo and Sophie Calle, and photography as seen by Roger Scruton and David Hockney, with poetry ranging from Ginsberg's Howl to Ian Duhig's Watercolour and two sessions on Nietzsche's 1873 essay on truth and lies. Members settle the programme themselves, through presentations, group reading of chosen essays or books, and bringing along something they admire to explain why. Visits have included the Royal Academy, the Barber Institute, the Ikon Gallery and BMAG in Birmingham. It meets fortnightly for two hours on Thursday mornings at Bromyard Road Methodist Church.